"Victor…can you please just tell me where we're going? This is getting ridiculous."

These words came out of Yuri Katsuki's mouth as an uncertain squeak, not anything like the annoyed quip he had wished or imagined them to be. And he had every reason to be annoyed, of course—as Victor Nikiforov, his coach, seemed to have forgotten that with his upcoming competition fast approaching, and with a routine far more difficult to memorize that he had imagined, there just wasn't any time for…whatever this was. Yuri was determined that if he was to even have a chance at winning, he needed to spend as much time at the rink as possible, rehearsing the steps over and over until he had perfected them. Of course, he couldn't deny how much the situation at hand intrigued him—or how much he enjoyed being able to spend quiet leisure time with the person he loved above all others.

That morning, Yuri had been surprised to find that Victor had let him sleep in, allowing him to awaken naturally rather than corralling him off to the rink at five in the morning as usual. And rather than restricting his breakfast to only the healthiest of foods—usually some fruit and wheat toast—the Russian man had insisted that they go out for their meal instead, allowing him to indulge in waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Then they had gotten in Victor's car, and had been driving since. Where? Yuri didn't know. The only thing he knew for sure was that they had started off a few hours ago, and he had watched as the city gradually disappeared behind them, the views becoming more and more picturesque as the road began to snake its way through the snow-capped mountains.

They had listened to the song for Yuri's routine only once, and then Victor had switched on the radio, much to Yuri's surprise, flipping to a station which played upbeat, lively pop music, a very drastic tempo change from the tune he was supposed to be "living and breathing", as the Russian liked to tell him. Whenever Yuri had tried to mention the competition—after all, the event in question had been on his mind rather constantly, so it was often the only thing he wanted to talk about—Victor had happily changed the subject, content, it seemed, to chat about anything but. Over the course of the three hours that they'd been in the car, Victor had managed to prattle on about everything from the mountains and animals they had seen on the way to his opinions about the songs they heard or products a commercial on the radio had advertised. In a way, he seemed almost nervous, talking far more than usual—and that was saying something. And no matter what Yuri had tried, Victor would not tell him where he was taking him. In some ways, it was maddening for Yuri, but in others it was exciting and a bit endearing.

"I told you, Yuri, it's a surprise," Victor said, his voice a bit more sultry than it probably should have been considering the time and place. The Russian reached over, placing his hand high up on Yuri's thigh and beginning to rub, a feat which he managed to do while keeping his eyes on the road as he drove.

Yuri immediately bit back a moan as Victor's hand went a bit higher, and though he appreciated the gesture, he didn't want to risk distracting his coach. "Both hands on the wheel, please," he said, earning a chuckle from Victor, who did remove his hand, albeit not without a rough squeeze to Yuri's sensitive skin before the skater could protest.

Yuri squeaked again and blushed, a sight which Victor relished in—in fact, could stare at for the rest of eternity and be perfectly content to do so—even out of the corner of his eye. Chuckling again, Victor met Yuri's gaze long enough to give him a teasing wink before turning his attention fully back to the winding road before him. "Just relax, Yuri. Today's your day off and I don't plan on making you work. We're going to have fun."

Huffing slightly, Yuri sat back in the comfortable leather seat, looking out the window at the changing landscape, noticing how there seemed to be more and more snow accumulated on the ground the further they traversed this strange serpentine road. He wondered once again where in the world his coach could be taking him, and what, perchance, could possibly be worth a three hour drive away from the city, where one had access to a virtually limitless collection of so many different amenities—all the restaurants, malls, theatres and, most of all, skating rinks a person could ever need? What could be out here that wasn't back there?

Regardless, Yuri found himself soothed by the sight of the powdery white substance, especially as he noticed flakes of it beginning to appear on the window. Everything in the country seemed so soothing and slow—in fact, he couldn't actually remember the last time they'd passed another car or seen another person. The quiet and serenity of the world in that moment made the monstrous entity that was the skating competition feel much further away, less real, and for that Yuri did feel grateful.

Still, as he reached over and turned on the heat, he couldn't deny that he was anxious for whatever Victor had planned; it was not that he didn't trust him—because of course he did—but he had a hard time dealing with the uncertainty of it all. "Can you at least tell me when we'll get there?"

He heard Victor chuckling softly once again. "Say please, my little Yuri."

Rolling his eyes but unable to suppress a nearly beaming smile at the pet name Victor had given him, Yuri said, "Please tell me, Coach."

Yuri saw that Victor was almost beaming as well. "Oh, I suppose, since you asked so nicely. It'll probably be another half hour, maybe a little more. Are you cold?"

"A little," Yuri said softly, looking out the window once again. He watched as they drove across a quaint stone bridge, passing over a small, ribbon-like stream that had probably been long since frozen over. He noticed how the early afternoon sun sparkled as it hit the saw-toothed ice sheets, and was overcome by a strange, unexpected feeling of serenity that relaxed him even further.

Victor smiled, gesturing towards the back of the car without taking his eyes off the road. "Poor little Yuri. There's a blanket back there that I packed. Why don't you take it and have a nap before we arrive? I don't think you've been getting enough sleep lately."

Yuri couldn't say he was particularly tired, but he knew that Victor was right about his sleeping. He always went to bed with more than enough time to get in an adequate night's rest, but his anxiety about the competition often made it exceedingly difficult to actually fall asleep in the first place. He was lucky if he had more than four hours each night—and any sleep he did get was usually so restless it didn't really matter anyway—and though he could see the real effect this had had on his skating, he was not sure how, exactly, to fix it. He slept better when he was with Victor, and so that was one excuse the two could use to justify their closeness in bed. Victor also had Yuri take a small dose of sleeping aids each night, and made him take a nap whenever they had a lull in their training during the day—usually, by laying on top of him and weighing him down so that he had no choice but to stay still and sleep.

Not that Yuri really needed to be forced to obey Victor. He enjoyed the way Victor often babied him and treated him like a child, and was happy to play along when the Russian wanted to exude his dominance. Reaching back, Yuri took the soft blanket and pulled it into his lap, unfolding it and spreading it over himself. He faked a yawn, tilting his seat back as he heard Victor turn off the radio.

"Good boy," Victor praised, taking his hand off the wheel only momentarily to stroke Yuri's shoulder. "Sweet dreams. I'll wake you up when we're there."

"Thanks, Coach," Yuri murmured, and closed his eyes. At first he thought he'd just pretend to nap to make Victor happy, but then, amazingly, Yuri really was falling asleep, soothed by the warmth of blanket and the sound of Victor's soft humming to the tune of one of the songs they had heard on the radio.

Not five minutes later, the young skater had fallen fast asleep, his breathing becoming soft and even. Victor glanced over for as long as he could, sighing happily—just the idea that his Yuri was safe and comfortable was enough to fill his heart with joy. He only prayed, from the very bottom of his heart, that what he had planned for today would please the love of his life as much as he hoped, and bring them even closer together.

That was—and had always been—Victor's goal.

"Yuri…" a voice called to him. "Wake up, sleeping beauty."

Yuri's eyes fluttered open slowly and he was treated to the sight of Victor, standing over him, smiling down at him with his usual cheery grin. Clearly, they had arrived at their destination, and Yuri, who was surprised that he had actually fallen asleep, took a moment to compose himself, ignoring the slight grogginess he felt and instead paying attention to the landscape around them, trying to determine if he could tell right away what their outing might be.

His surroundings, however, didn't give away much. He saw that they were still in the countryside, and that Victor had pulled off the main road and onto a graveled strip of dirt that seemed to serve as a driveway, where another few cars were parked as well. The setting was very picturesque: a faded and weathered red barn stood nearby, and enclosed within a fence that probably designated the pasture, Yuri could see a group of horses—some black, brown or mottled with white—being tended by a few farmhands dressed only in t-shirts and jeans, as though the frigid, dry air didn't bother them at all.

Victor leaned down, holding out his hand to Yuri like a proper gentleman. Yuri took it after a moment, allowing Victor to help him out of the car. Instantly, Yuri felt chilled—probably not much of a surprise, considering he had gone from being snuggled in a blanket for the last forty minutes or so to perhaps twenty-degree cold in the span of about thirty seconds. But before he could begin to shiver too much, he found Victor slipping a coat around his shoulders, buttoning it up for him. Then Victor took one of Yuri's hands in his own and gave the younger skater a loving smile as he raised it to his lips and kissed it tenderly. Yuri flushed, watching as the Russian then reached into his pocket and removed a pair of gloves, which he slipped over Yuri's fingers.

Though distracted and quite charmed by Victor's affectionate display, Yuri was still very confused as to what was going on. "Where are we, Victor? Is this a farm?"

Victor smiled at Yuri, repeating the action to his other hand. Once he had finished, he reached into the backseat of the car, retrieving his own jacket along with what looked to be a small picnic basket. "I wanted us to do something together that would be fun and relaxing. You seem so anxious in the city, and I think this will be a good change of pace for you. You're getting too caught up in the competition, and today I want you to let it go, if only for a little while."

Yuri watched as Victor closed and locked the car, feeling incredibly touched by the Russian's thoughtfulness—because even though Yuri didn't know what he had planned for him, he knew that for Victor, who took skating perhaps more seriously than anything else in the world, to willingly give up a day of practice so close to the competition was no small feat. And the fact that he had done it because he was concerned for Yuri only melted the young skater's heart further.

"Thanks, Victor," Yuri said, and took a moment to embrace the Russian, wanting to express his gratitude fully. "What are we doing, anyway?"

Victor smiled, wrapping an arm around Yuri's shoulders and leading him over towards the barn, though he kept mysteriously quiet. Yuri could hear people talking and laughing, and he could smell the aroma of burning wood and pine, mingling with the fresh mountain air. As the two of them walked around to the other side of the barn, Yuri could see several people, mostly sets of couples, standing around a big bonfire, a few of them roasting marshmallows or hotdogs on skewers over the flames. Some people were sitting at picnic tables, eating and drinking, while one couple had engaged in a rather heated game of horseshoes. Yuri then saw that nearby, there was a small frozen pond—a beautiful, scenic place that would be ideal for ice skating.

"I suppose we're skating," Yuri said, and smiled at Victor. Not that he had any problem with it, but he should have known that he wouldn't get off the hook from practicing so easily.

But Victor surprised him when he shook his head. "We can if you really want, but that isn't why I brought you here."

Victor then pointed over towards the back of the barn, and Yuri's eyes followed the direction of his finger. There, a set of wooden stables sat, and inside Yuri could see a few more horses, the sounds of their whinnying just faintly audible. A moment later, Yuri finally realized what Victor intended for them to do, as his gaze came to rest upon a beautiful, old-time horse-drawn carriage, making its way out of a little clearing in the snowy woods on winding, well-traveled path, approaching the stables. The clatter of the horses' hooves upon the gravel and the rhythmic tinkle of the jingle bells that had been attached to their harnesses could be heard, along with the jovial laughter of the couple seated in the carriage. As the carriage came to a stop and the driver helped the man and woman step down from the high seat, the couple shared an affectionate kiss and practically skipped away, giggling all the while.

Victor pulled Yuri closer to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek before nipping his ear slightly. "I thought that this might be fun for us. I heard it's supposed to be very romantic. I did a lot of research. I even remembered to bring some hot cocoa and cookies for us to have."

Yuri was sure that his heart would either explode or stop all together from the sheer amount of joy that had filled it in that moment.

Yuri looked up at Victor after a moment and cuddled closer to him almost at once, cherishing his warmth. "This…this is so sweet of you, Victor. No one has ever done anything like this for me. Thank you."

Victor did not answer verbally, but he leaned down and pressed his lips against Yuri's, a gesture which the young skater was quick to reciprocate. For a few moments, the world apart from one another seemed to disappear completely as they lost themselves in this warm, passionate kiss, not caring what anyone else around them might be thinking. And when finally the two pulled apart, they were both flushed and slightly out of breath.

After they had come back down from their blissful high, Victor laughed when he saw that his lover's glasses had fogged up, and he decided that it must be due to the steaminess of their kiss. He removed them from Yuri's face and carefully cleaned them, slipping them back on once he'd finished and brushing the bangs from Yuri's forehead affectionately as he did.

"Thanks, Coach," Yuri laughed, his cheeks pink.

Victor gave Yuri a loving smile in return and gently took his arm, leading him towards the carriage. After Victor had paid the driver, he climbed up into the carriage and then reached down to help the younger skater up as well, pulling him into his arms simultaneously. As they sat on the bench, Victor held Yuri half on his lap, tucking him against his side, his embrace practically smothering him—but Yuri didn't mind a bit, and was happy to snuggle close and allow himself to be cradled like a child. The driver spread a thick wool blanket over their laps before jumping back into the coachman's seat, and within moments the carriage began to move, down the graveled pathway which led in a loop through the scenic forest.

As the carriage made its way through the trees, Yuri and Victor sat in mostly silence, sharing the thermos of hot chocolate Victor had brought along. Victor fed cookies to his little lover, kissing away any crumbs which appeared around his mouth, causing Yuri to erupt into fits of giggling. When the snacks had disappeared, and the cocoa had been drained, Yuri laid against Victor's chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heartbeat. The Russian's fingers twirled very gently through his black hair, drawing Yuri into such a state of deep relaxation that the skater almost fell asleep once again.

At a clearing in the forest, the driver of the carriage stopped to give his horses a rest, unhooking them and leading them to a nearby water trough so they could drink. Victor and Yuri waited in the carriage, parked strategically so that they were treated with a view of the mountains, aglow in the setting sun. It was absolutely gorgeous, Yuri decided. A moment that was nothing short of perfect.

And then Yuri felt Victor sitting up, gently directing his young skating student to do the same. They looked one another in the eyes for what felt like—and might have been—an eternity, getting lost once again in what was undoubtedly a very special moment between them. Yuri could sense it even before Victor began to speak.

Stroking a hand softly down the side of Yuri's face, Victor looked at his lover with all the adoration in the world, looked at him like he was the only thing that would ever matter, and Yuri could see that in his eyes, clear as day. When Victor spoke, his voice was hushed, for only Yuri to hear.

"Yuri…I've been meaning to ask you something for awhile now."

Yuri's heart skipped a beat, and then almost stopped when he saw Victor beginning to reach into his pocket.

Victor smiled, pulling out a small, velvet box. "I thought that maybe I would wait until the night of the competition to do this, but our relationship…it's about so much more than just ice-skating, and I want you to realize that. I didn't want you to think that what I'm about to ask you has anything to do with whether you win or lose, or how well you perform at the competition. Because now…after getting to know you…it really isn't about skating anymore. At first, I only loved the ice-skater part of you, but now…now I realize that I love all the rest of you, too. And no matter what happens in your career…whether you sore to new heights as a skater or you decide to pursue something else entirely…I always want to be with you. No matter what."

Victor opened the box slowly, and Yuri stared down at the ring, a shiny silver band with a big, beautiful blue diamond inside a circle of small white crystals. The only word Yuri thought could accurately describe that ring was "magnificent". It seemed almost to glow in a striking rainbow of colors as the fading light of the sunset enveloped it.

Victor smiled at him, and it was the most beautiful smile Yuri decided he had ever seen. "Yuri Katsuki," he said very softly, "will you marry me?"

The next thing Victor knew, he was the one being practically strangled by Yuri's embrace as the young skater threw his arms around him, sobbing loudly into his shoulder—crying only because he could no longer contain the absolute joy and bliss he felt. Yuri thought for sure that his heart might burst, and there was a moment where it seemed he'd forgotten how to breathe. The two of them embraced, held each other so tightly that it almost hurt, but neither of them cared. They stayed that way for awhile, and when Yuri finally pulled back, shaking, Victor was also crying as well—but he still had that big smile on his face, and he looked like the happiest man in the world.

"Victor," Yuri said, and he felt so overwhelmed and excited that he was sure he was speaking only gibberish. "Of course. Of course I'll marry you."

Wiping away Yuri's tears and then his own, Victor took the ring from the box and reached for the young skater's shaking hand, removing his glove and caressing the appendage as he slipped the band onto his finger. It fit perfectly, and Yuri instantly knew that he would never want to take it off. Victor then raised the hand to his lips once more, kissing it over and over and murmuring softly against the skin, "I love you so much, Yuri."

"I love you too, Victor," Yuri said through his tears.

For the rest of their carriage ride, Victor and Yuri alternated between crying and laughing—both from joy—while they clutched one another and admired the ring and talked about their plans for the wedding and all the people they would have to break the happy news to. They dreamed aloud about their future, and Victor decided before they had even gotten back to the car that he wanted at least two dog children, which Yuri had not been opposed to.

Needless to say, the competition had been forgotten. In fact, when the day of finally rolled around, Victor and Yuri were nowhere to be found at the rink—instead, they were curled up in bed together, scrolling through pictures on their cell-phones as they tried to pick a color scheme for their upcoming wedding.

Yuri had won the best prize of all, and he hadn't even needed to put on his skates.

A/N: Hi! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I wrote this little drabble just for fun, but I really enjoy this pairing so I'm not opposed to writing a few more. If you have any suggestions for future one-shots, let me know! And please leave a review if you enjoyed!

P.S. If you accidently found any 'Yukis' or 'Vincents', it's merely due to too much Gravitation and Black Butler.

~Rick